To Put A Smile On Her Face
by Aunt Kathy
Summary: Janeway/Seven fic. With the captain's birthday fast approaching, Seven decides to get in on the action and to make sure she gets her friend a gift. But what on Earth could it be? Set at some point towards the end of season 4.


Disclaimer: Not my characters, just my story.

Thank you: to SV for betaing, because my writing wouldn't be half as good without her.

Dedications: Oystercatcher. She knows why, and why now. [I also hope you know why this is a little late, darling...]

Enjoy :)

* * *

Seven of Nine, former Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01, was frustrated. There was a dilemma that she was currently facing that was most insistent that it remain unresolved, and it was this stubbornness that was angering her at present. In a mere matter of days, it would be Janeway's birthday: May 20th by the old Earth calendar. But this fact was only part of the dilemma; the remainder was that Seven had nothing to give the captain.

At least she now knew about the event; Neelix had brought the matter to her attention a few days earlier.

"Well- hello there, Seven," Neelix chirped, bustling over in his usual jolly manner to join her as she encouraged his latest special down her trachea. "How are you finding the food?"

Seven, who had recently been introduced to the idea of tact, held her tongue and offered the cook a small smile as she finally swallowed. "It is..." she began, carefully eyeing the red and orange soup (which had a suspiciously string-like consistency), "rather interesting. The aftertaste is particularly... tangy."

"Do you like it?" he ventured, frowning a little, as he was not yet sure what to make of the Borg's remark.

"Nutritionally, it is more than adequate. However, I admit I preferred the Bankleberry Quark you served yesterday."

Neelix beamed at the compliment and sat down opposite her. "That was rather tasty, wasn't it?"

"It was." Seven watched as Neelix took a seat, frowning a little as he looked at her expectantly. "Is there something else you would like to discuss?"

"As a matter of fact, there is." Neelix glanced around and then leaned in, hoping to inject a sense of anticipation into the conversation. Seven leant in as well, but she was rather more baffled than intrigued. Dismissing this, he continued in a whisper: "I'm planning a little event in a few days, and wondered if you might be interested in attending."

"What type of-"

Neelix cut her off with a loud shushing sound, a finger pressed to his lips to ensure the woman across the table lower her voice a little.

"What type of event is it?" she whispered back, starting to find the charade a little unnecessary.

"A surprise birthday party for the captain. In the past, we've done small events, but this year I've finally managed to get myself together and organize something with a little more... 'oompf.'"

"'Oompf'?" Seven sounded unimpressed.

"Yes! 'Va-va-voom', a little 'je-ne-sais-quoi'!"

Seven raised a skeptical eyebrow, which Neelix, of course, chose to ignore.

"Well, what do you say?" he bubbled at her. "Are you in or are you out?"

"I am uncertain. Usually I avoid trivial events such as this, but I believe that, in this case, I might wish to attend." In the past, social events had proven difficult for the young woman to master. But the captain meant a lot to her, and Seven genuinely wanted to make an appearance in this case. Recently her friendship with the captain had deepened, they had started to spend more time together and were now spending time on the holodeck playing velocity as well as sharing visits to DaVinci's workshop. Seven always looked forward to seeing the captain, and therefore knew that she should make sure to do something for her birthday. She knew that if it were her that she would want Janeway to attend, so it was only logical that it would be the same with the roles reversed.

"I'll take that as a yes," Neelix grinned at stood, bending for a moment to add, "and gifts are optional!"

_What gift?_ thought Seven as she watched the stout Talaxian hurry off again.

A moment later, she had finished her meal and was on her way back to the Astrometrics lab. She was determined to find out what exactly this 'gift' that Neelix had mentioned should entail. "Computer, display all information regarding the Earth tradition of celebrating an individual's birthday."

The amount of detail that appeared before her was quite overwhelming. Nevertheless, Seven read avidly, trying to absorb as much information she could. At least she now had an answer to her question about what the gift was: 'a token to show appreciation and affection towards the receiver'. The entire account was rather ambiguous. Thus she decided to ask someone who might be able to shed some light on the matter: in particular, some holographic light.

* * *

"Ah, Seven, what brings you here today?" the EMH asked jovially, looking up from a deep tissue scanner he was running over a sample. "Trouble with your implants? Or are you eager for some more tutoring regarding your interaction with the crew?"

"I suppose that my issue is closer to the latter, Doctor." She came to a halt near him, her hands clasped behind her back and her chin raised. It was a stance that many had come to associate particularly with her, and one that she rarely changed unless it was deemed absolutely necessary.

"I see." The Doctor placed his equipment aside and took a step towards Seven: as usual, he was eager to offer assistance. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I have been informed that it will be Captain Janeway's birthday in a few days, and…" she trailed off as she tried to find the best phrasing, "… and I am… unsure as to the proper gift for her."

"Seven, there is no 'proper' gift. Usually you just give something with a slightly… 'personal' touch."

"Personal?"

"Yes, something sentimental that references your past experiences together."

"I am not a 'sentimental' individual, Doctor. How can I choose a 'sentimental' gift?"

"You don't need to be a sentimental person to find something of sentimental value to the recipient. Does the person receiving the gift appreciate sentimental value?" There was a pause as he returned to his samples, allowing Seven to ponder the question for a moment. He then added, "Do you believe that the captain is a sentimental individual?"

"I… believe so. However, I do not think I know Captain Janeway well enough to bestow upon her a gift that would be of such a personal nature." She turned towards the Doctor and frowned a little. "Is there any other type of gift other than the 'personal' kind?"

"Well, a more general item can imply that there has been little thought put into the gift. On the other hand, the giving of something presumed to hold personal value might have an unintended effect if the object does not have the presumed personal value, or if the giver does not know the receiver well enough to anticipate their reaction accurately."

"Do you believe that a more general gift would be appropriate?" inquired Seven, beginning to wonder about the amount of social protocol that seemed to surround this act of gift-giving.

"Perhaps." The Doctor sighed and looked back at the young woman behind him. "Seven, giving a gift, of any kind shouldn't be something that is too difficult. A present is often something that the giver believes the receiver will utilize rather than just smile at. If you're unsure about what to give the captain, give her something that you think she might need. Perhaps there is something that you believe would be beneficial to her."

Seven frowned as she considered this. Surely she could find a useful gift for the captain. "Thank you, Doctor. You have been very helpful."

"It's what I'm here for, Seven. I hope you manage to come up with something."

"I believe I shall." With that, she turned on her heel and left.

* * *

All through her shift, Seven thought about what type of gift she could give the captain, but it was in the cargo bay afterwards that she reached a break-through and finally decided on the correct gift.

Originally, when the Doctor had suggested something personal, she had contemplated giving the captain something that could be used in her holographic replica of DaVinci's workshop. If she gave a tool for the clay or perhaps some other art materials, the gift could also qualify in the 'useful' category. However, Janeway had been spending less and less time in that program recently, so although it might be useful to some extent, such a gift might not necessarily be used.

She racked her brain for something else, some other item that could benefit Janeway. Seven thought about the characteristics that described the woman she had come to know and care about over the past several months: Janeway was kind, dedicated to her crew, and an avid drinker of coffee. She was also fiercely determined and highly intelligent, but Seven was unsure how to apply this knowledge to a present.

She has a most aesthetically pleasing face. Seven frowned, caught off guard by the unconscious thought. Considering the matter further, she came to the conclusion that, although she might think this, that it might be difficult to incorporate this into the gift.

Seven was well aware that a gift that assisted with the captain's coffee addiction would be rather general. After all, it was a well-known fact that she indulged in numerous cups of the beverage on a daily, if not hourly, basis. Also, such encouragement might not benefit Janeway in the long term. Coffee, although it enabled her to remain sharp and focused, also made the captain more susceptible to irritation and, therefore, stress. Seven wanted her gift to do the opposite.

_I require a gift that is personal, stress-relieving, and that will be used by the captain as much as possible._ It was with this thought in mind that Seven opened a database search with the key words: personal gift, stress-relief and popular. The latter was important because Seven wanted her gift to be something available to the captain, but that she could improve upon.

She scrolled through massage chairs and apparently soothing pebbles before she found what she knew she had been looking for. It was an item that had been searched for many times by the crew (and a little further search would tell her exactly who), but that apparently had not been replicated. Seven looked at its simple design and realized that, with some easily-implemented modifications, it would make a perfect gift. And so, with a small, satisfied nod, Seven of Nine went to work.

* * *

Thanks for reading :)


End file.
